FanHouse Michael Johnson

Though a 28-17 loss to the Houston Texans wasn't an ideal way to come off an eye-opening 4-1 start, the Cincinnati Bengals knew it wouldn't be the end of the world.

Unfortunately, the repercussions of Sunday's game at Paul Brown Stadium will be felt for the rest of the season. The club Monday announced that Antwan Odom, who entered the weekend tied for the NFL lead in quarterback sacks, will miss the rest of the season.

After rewatching the Bengals-Packers and the Steelers-Bears games, here are some things to keep an eye on this Sunday:

• If the Bengals have some pass protection problems on the offensive line with right tackle Anthony Collins and left tackle Andrew Whitworth. Collins gave up two sacks against the Broncos in Week One while Whitworth gave up two sacks in Week Two against the Packers. Collins Whitworth (got my linemen mixed up there initially) has some problems with his footwork (he slipped and fell down a couple of times while blocking last week). That should give outside linebackers LaMarr Woodley and James Harrison a chance to create some havoc. For Steelers fans who don't follow the Bengals, first-round pick Andre Smith is out with a broken foot.

Who moved to the head of the NFL class during the draft? Find out with FanHouse's team-by-team 2009 Draft Grades.

All joking about character risks aside, the Cincinnati Bengals needed to have a good draft. They've had some misses -- through bad scouting and bad luck -- with top picks in recent years, and they had to hit on their top pick this year. You can take as many shots as you want at his weight and conditioning, but when you watch a tape, there is no question the Bengals' first-round pick can play football.

NEW YORK -- Just arrived back at Radio City Music Hall for the second day of the NFL Draft, and let's just say there's a little more room to spread out today. The NFL says nearly 750 members of the media showed up to cover Day 1, but looking around this room now I think we'd struggle to get near 75. Maybe everybody's sleeping in. Or maybe people don't actually come and cover Day 2, and I'm in the wrong place. Hey, we're learning.

Regardless, there are a couple of things worth mentioning here in the moments before the third round begins. The Jets need somebody for Mark Sanchez to throw to. The Lions need people who can stop the other team from scoring and get Matt Stafford and Brandon Pettigrew on the field. And a number of folks seem to have the wrong idea about the way I feel about the Patriots. So let's look ahead and clear a couple of things up with four Day 2 Questions.

With the draft approaching, we ignore projections and identify the dream scenario for each team in a series we call The Perfect Draft.

Yes, the Carolina Panthers are late to the party. But I thought it only appropriate given that the Cats have no first round pick in this year's NFL Draft. Of course, that's not necessarily a bad thing whatsoever. Last year, the Panthers traded this year's first-rounder (plus 2008's second and fourth round picks) for the Eagles' first round pick (No. 19 overall) and selected Jeff Otah. Carolina made the playoffs and looked like a Super Bowl contender late in the season.

To get ready for this weekend's draft, we're looking position-by-position at who could go in the first round. Click here for the rest of the breakdowns, beginning with quarterback.

DT B.J. Raji (Top 15 pick), DE/OLB Brian Orakpo (Top 15 pick), DE Tyson Jackson (Top 15 pick), DE Aaron Maybin (mid-first round), DE Robert Ayers (mid-to-late round), DE Everette Brown (mid-to-late first round), DT Peria Jerry (late first round).

Teams can never have enough defensive linemen and the good news for teams this year is there are a number of linemen with solid first round grades. The picking is better for teams looking for an edge rusher than a big monster to absorb blockers, but there is a little of both, with Raji looking like a potential stud 3-4 nose tackle or 4-3 defensive tackle while Jackson projects as either a run-stuffing 4-3 defensive end or a perfect fit as a 3-4 DE. For teams who don't pick in the top 15, Jerry is another productive inside run-stuffer with enough athleticism to also get some pressure on the quarterback.

Who can blame him at this point?

Usain Bolt barely even broke a sweat in Beijing this past year when he broke every Olympic record in front of him. The 100 meter world record wasn't even a challenge, as he celebrated for the last 10-15 meters, and he also took down Michael Johnson's 200 meter world record -- which had stood for 12 years.

Now he's going to start running the 400-meter, and there is very little doubt he can easily shatter this record as well -- also owned by Johnson. He's obviously the fastest man in the history of the planet, so I see no possible reason he cannot break this record with ease, barring injury.

In fact, I started doing some thinking about Bolt and his amazing gift. Remember those Man vs. Beast shows on Fox? When they did sprints, they'd pit a sprinter against a giraffe or zebra or something. The human would always burst out of the gate with a lead. Once the animal got a little warmed up and started moving they'd blow by the poor human with ease.

Last Monday night, ESPN introduced a thing called optical-tracking technology, brought in to show how fast different players like Reggie Bush and Adrian Peterson really are.

The Saints young star was kind enough to break two punt returns for touchdowns, each showing that explosiveness most in the Louisiana area have been waiting for. With the new technology, we got to watch Bush reach a top speed of 22 miles per hour. How fast is that if you compared him to other quick-footed humans? The LA Times broke it down.

If you don't think 22 mph sounds that fast, consider this: Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt averaged 23.07 mph over 100 meters when he took the gold medal with his blistering 9.69-second performance in the Olympics. That's according to EliteFeet.com, which also translated the times of star runners Maurice Greene (21.0 mph in the indoor 60 meters), Michael Johnson (20.71 in the 400) and Florence Griffith Joyner (21.32 in the 100), among others.

Yes, those speeds are averages over the distance, as opposed to Bush's top speed at a given point. But those runners also weren't carrying a football and saddled with a helmet and pads.

After today's loss to Georgia Tech, Boston College quarterback Chris Crane was asked what happened on his first interception. And in his explanation, he also explained why Georgia Tech defensive end Michael Johnson is going to be a high first-round NFL draft pick in April.

"They started bringing pressure from the field," Crane said. "I tried to throw over a 6-foot-7-guy and I didn't realize it."

NFL scouts absolutely love Johnson's 6-foot-7, 260-pound frame and the long wingspan that Crane wasn't able to avoid when Johnson tipped a pass that was intercepted. He's a great athlete and showed today against Boston College -- when he also had a tackle behind the line of scrimmage -- that he's a very good player.

The reason I question whether he's one of the truly elite players in the 2009 draft class, though, is that he came off the bench as a situational pass rusher in his sophomore and junior years and didn't become a starter until this season. That tells me that Georgia Tech's coaches don't see Johnson as a complete player, even though NFL scouts seem to think he'll become one.

After today's loss to Georgia Tech, Boston College quarterback Chris Crane was asked what happened on his first interception. And in his explanation, he also explained why Georgia Tech defensive end Michael Johnson is going to be a high first-round NFL draft pick in April.

"They started bringing pressure from the field," Crane said. "I tried to throw over a 6-foot-7-guy and I didn't realize it."

NFL scouts absolutely love Johnson's 6-foot-7, 260-pound frame and the long wingspan that Crane wasn't able to avoid when Johnson tipped a pass that was intercepted. He's a great athlete and showed today against Boston College -- when he also had a tackle behind the line of scrimmage -- that he's a very good player.

The reason I question whether he's one of the truly elite players in the 2009 draft class, though, is that he came off the bench as a situational pass rusher in his sophomore and junior years and didn't become a starter until this season. That tells me that Georgia Tech's coaches don't see Johnson as a complete player, even though NFL scouts seem to think he'll become one.